Any advice for a dingy tamper?

So I have had my beautiful maple wood Reg Barber tamper for a couple months now, and as expected, the nice shiny buffed look it came with has dissipated. I knew this would happen, however I was kinda hoping that it would maintain some kind of sheen just from the oils associated with working with it (i.e. from hands and coffee). The baristas at my shop that have wooden tampers all have darker woods that took on this effect, but mine hasn't and just looks kind of dingy. Is that just the nature of this wood? has anyone tried oiling their tamper? I really don't want to varnish it because I like the natural look and feel of the wood, I just wish it had a little shine to it again. RB's website says you can send them back for a buffing to restore the sheen but I'd rather not be without it for a while.

If nobody has a clue what I am talking about I can show before and after pictures if it helps.

Boiled linseed oil and 000 steel wool will do wonders. Rub on the oil with a paper towel or cotton cloth, then hand buff with steel wool. It'll take about 10 minutes of solid rubbing. Repeat 7-10 times (once a day) and it will be great! Wood working is my other main passion, and this has always worked wonders. It takes patience, but the results are well worth it. Once you've done it as described above, simply add another coat and buff with the steel wool once every 3 months or so and you'll be good.

My only question, will the steel wool be alright to use even though my tamper is engraved? I would hate to diminish the engraving.

Daniel Williamson said:

Boiled linseed oil and 000 steel wool will do wonders. Rub on the oil with a paper towel or cotton cloth, then hand buff with steel wool. It'll take about 10 minutes of solid rubbing. Repeat 7-10 times (once a day) and it will be great! Wood working is my other main passion, and this has always worked wonders. It takes patience, but the results are well worth it. Once you've done it as described above, simply add another coat and buff with the steel wool once every 3 months or so and you'll be good.

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